


Learning to Swim

by kalliel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Episode Tag, Episode: s05e22 Swan Song, Gen, PTSD, Season/Series 05
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-25
Updated: 2010-06-25
Packaged: 2018-04-08 15:38:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4310850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kalliel/pseuds/kalliel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In June, they go to the lake.  Lisa brings sandwiches, Ben brings swim trunks, and Dean brings what's left of himself.  5x22 tag.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Learning to Swim

In June, they go to the lake. It has been one month, ten days, and and twenty-one hours. Lisa brings sandwiches (tuna, with chopped celery and a little dill--lemon pepper to taste). Ben brings swim trunks. Dean brings

"Sunscreen--nonono, young man." Lisa rubs liberal amounts onto Ben's neck and back. It's for protection. Ben grins up at Dean from behind a raccoon's mask of Coppertone.

"You missed some," Dean offers.

"You missed a _lot_." Lisa rubs the rest in, blows a raspberry into his hair, and releases him to the mercy of the screaming, laughing, splashing throngs. She sighs.

Dean watches. It's hard to focus. He keeps thinking, _It has been one month, ten days, and twenty-one hours since_

Ben kicks out further than the rest, into the dark cool of deeper waters. Breaststroke is his best--powerful, though still awkward and halting. It reminds Dean of

"He needs a few more hours at the pool." Lisa laughs. And Dean nods, maybe one, two seconds too late.

Lisa understands. They watch quietly. They don't talk about

They don't talk about anything.

Then: "When we were little--" Dean chokes. Ducks away, hands in his pockets, boots twisting in the dirt. "When I was little, my dad... when June came knocking, we'd drive around 'til we found a lake. And he'd throw us--he'd just throw me in.

"Forget swim lessons. He'd just say, 'You swim. You learn to swim, or you drown.'" You drown, and there won't be anything you can do for

Lisa squeezes his hand. "So you learned to swim."

Maybe. Dean can't breathe. The sun is bright, and the air is full of sunscreen. _You learn to swim, or you drown._ Dean forces air in, out. He can do this. 

He says, "Sam learned first."


End file.
